2000
#4,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,627
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.46
Rare Last name
Holbert
Derived from a place name meaning "bright hollow," or from a Germanic personal name meaning "renowned warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,213 Americans carry the last name Holbert. That puts it at #5,349 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,519 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holbert surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Holbert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,519
Census rank
#5,349
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,290 bearers of the surname Holbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5349th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holbert
The surname Holbert is believed to have originated in the medieval period in the region of Franconia, which is now part of modern-day Germany. It is derived from the Old German personal name Holtbrecht, which combines the elements "holz" meaning "wood" and "berht" meaning "bright" or "illustrious". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a wooded area or had some connection to forestry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. The name is mentioned in the form "Holtbrecht" in a document from 1187.
In England, the surname Holbert can be traced back to the 13th century, with the earliest known bearer being Robert de Holberd, who is mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1254. The variant spelling "Holberd" likely arose due to the influence of the Norman-French pronunciation of the name.
Noteworthy individuals with the surname Holbert include John Holbert (1520-1598), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Bristol in the late 16th century. Another notable bearer was Thomas Holbert (1625-1672), a Dutch merchant and explorer who voyaged to the East Indies and is credited with being one of the first Europeans to visit the island of Sumatra.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name is that of William Holbert, a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and is mentioned in military records from 1776. Another prominent American with this surname was Samuel Holbert (1784-1866), a pioneer and frontiersman who helped establish settlements in the territories of Indiana and Illinois.
Other notable individuals with the Holbert surname include the English novelist and playwright Thomas Holbert (1805-1891), known for his works exploring themes of social injustice and poverty. In more recent times, the American artist and sculptor Robert Holbert (1917-2000) gained recognition for his abstract expressionist works and public art installations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Holbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Holbert bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Holbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.6% · 4,757
- Black or African American14.3% · 901
- Two or more races5.7% · 357
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 209
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holbert
Holbert appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,746
+119 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.29
Rank movement Down 314 places
2020
#5,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,290
-456 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Down 170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,865 | 6,627 | 2.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,179 | 6,746 | 2.29 | +119 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 314 places |
| 2020 | #5,349 | 6,290 | 2.10 | -456 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 170 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Holbert surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,179 | #5,349 | -3.3% |
| Count | 6,746 | 6,290 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.29 | 2.10 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holbert bearers went from 6,746 to 6,290 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 170 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,179 to #5,349.
FAQ
Holbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holbert?
Name Census estimates that about 7,213 living Americans carry the surname Holbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,519 residents.
How common is Holbert?
Holbert ranks #5,349 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,290 people with the surname Holbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Holbert.
Has Holbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holbert went from 6,746 recorded bearers to 6,290. That is a decrease of 456 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,179 to #5,349.
What does the Census say about the background of Holbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Holbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.6% (4,757 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.6%), Black (14.3%), Two or More Races (5.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Holbert (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Holbert mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bright hollow," or from a Germanic personal name meaning "renowned warrior." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Holbert (2.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Holbert?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.